Bodies found after plane crashes into ocean

OCEAN CITY, Md. — Two people who died in a weekend plane crash off Ocean City were identified Monday as off-duty police officers.

Maryland State Police identified the men as 27-year-old Joshua D. Adickes of Berlin and 43-year-old Thomas J. Geoghegan Jr. of Ocean City. Both men were officers with the Ocean City Police Department.

Troopers say the plane took off from the Ocean City Municipal Airport between 3:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Sunday. The destination is not known.

Investigators believe Geoghegan, who owned the single-engine Nanchang CJ-6A, a Chinese military training aircraft, was piloting it and Adickes, the lone passenger, was seated behind him.

Mayor Rick Meehan says witnesses told police that the aircraft spun out of control Sunday before crashing.

The bodies of the two men were recovered Monday. The wreckage of the plane was about one quarter of a mile off the beach from 130th Street in 30 feet of water. Divers had to work in zero visibility and rough waters.

The Ocean City police department issued a statement Monday afternoon calling the men dedicated and courageous.

The department said Geoghegan has been a seasonal officer since 1991 and has served each summer since 2002. He was most recently assigned to the patrol division and enjoyed taking friends for airplane rides.

Police say Adickes joined the department as a seasonal officer in 2011 and was hired full time last year. He was assigned to the patrol division and loved the beach.

The bodies were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsies. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.